Woodbury man's release in United Arab Emirates urged

MINNEAPOLIS—The director of the University of Minnesota's Human Rights Program is calling for the immediate release of a Woodbury man who has been held for months in the United Arab Emirates.

Barbara Frey and other leaders of the Human Rights Center say they are concerned about Shezanne Cassim's unwarranted and lengthy detention. They say they're also troubled by his limited access to an attorney.

Cassim's family says he was living and working in Dubai when he uploaded a satirical video onto YouTube. He was arrested in April and is accused of endangering the national security of the United Arab Emirates by violating its federal cybercrimes law.